Here’s what to know about the long-strained relationship that poses the risk of a broader conflict.
American officials have suddenly raised the stakes in the long-simmering tensions between the United States and Iran, pointing to new intelligence that they say suggests an imminent threat to American interests in the Middle East.
The potential for armed conflict between the two countries has loomed since the Islamic Revolution and takeover of the American Embassy in Tehran four decades ago. Occasionally, those tensions have escalated into violence.
The recent American assertion that Iran poses an immediate threat has raised fears that the two nations have pushed closer to the brink. Here’s what you need to know about the risks of a broader conflict.
Earlier this month, the United States— pointing to information about an imminent threat of an Iranian attack in the Middle East — swiftly moved an aircraft carrier group into the region. In quick succession, it then shored up defenses and evacuated personnel from the embassy in Baghdad, the Iraqi capital.
But the Trump administration has not provided specific details about the supposed threat from Iran, and allies in Europe and the region are skeptical given the history of faulty intelligence that led to the 2003 invasion of Iraq, led by theUnited States.
In response to the moves by the United States earlier in the month, Iran said it would end compliance with its obligations under the 2015 nuclear deal between Iran and six world powers. The deal with the United States, China, France, Germany, Russia and the United Kingdom was intended to curb Tehran’s nuclear ambitions in exchange for relief from economic sanctions.
Tensions have risen steadily since the beginning of the Trump administration. President Trump pulled the United States out of the nuclear deal last year, imposed oppressive sanctions, moved to cut off Iran’s oil exports and designated an Iranian military unit as a terror organization.
Sanam Vakil, a senior research fellow in the Middle East and North Africa program at Chatham House, a London-based research group, said the Trump administration’s lack of understanding about Iran has only fanned the flames.
“Something as simple as the very insulting language they use, which is political and by choice, is not language that works with the Islamic Republic of Iran,” she said. “There’s just very limited trust between both sides.”
While some have compared the situation with Iran to the lead-up to the American invasion of Iraq, there are important differences.
Iran is nearly four times larger than neighboring Iraq in terms of territory.
